13 US Paratroopers to Face Court over Disco Brawl in Italy

FILE PHOTO -- Soldiers from 173rd Airborne Brigade, out of Vicenza, Italy, perform pre-inspections on their T-11 parachute systems during an airborne operation held at Adazi Military Base, Latvia. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brooks Fletcher)
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VICENZA, Italy -- More than a dozen U.S. paratroopers are headed to a local courtroom Thursday after a bloody brawl outside a disco that reportedly broke out after a soldier was slashed in the arm.

The 13 American troops were arrested at the Liv disco in Bassano del Grappa after the fight with some African men early Sunday morning, local media reported. Three Senegalese men were also arrested, according to The Associated Press.

Samule Bucciol, the club owner, called the brawl "madness" and said he dialed the emergency number for ambulances and police.

"There was much, much blood," he said. "After the fight, USA people were crazy," he said.

The AP quoted Carabinieri Lt. Col. Martino Salvo as saying one soldier was slashed in the arm inside the club early Sunday, provoking a fight about 4 a.m. with three Senegalese men outside. In all, four Americans and two Senegalese were injured, he told the AP.